*Begs for urgent FG intervention
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, on Thursday lamented that the dreaded Boko Haram and Ansaru terrorists’ groups are in charge of two Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State – Birnin-Gwari and Giwa.
The Governor stated that the presence of the terrorist groups, especially in the North-West, is potentially more serious and dangerous than that of the North-East region, urging the military and other security agencies to take urgent steps to clear them from their locations.
El-Rufai said that with the presence of these terror groups, the problem of insecurity had moved from the Northeastern part of the country to the Northwest.
Speaking while receiving the 2022 First Quarter Security Report at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna which was presented by the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, Governor El-Rufai said 360 persons were killed either by bandits, terrorists or communal violent clash in the State between January and March 2022.
The Governor explained that one of the kidnap victims, his roommate at the university, told him that the terrorists in one of their conversations said the “forest in Kaduna is better than that of Sambisa so they should all relocate here.”
He also hinted of plans to clear three communities of Rijana, Katari and Akilibu, all in the Kachia LGA of the State over their alleged involvement in kidnapping incidents along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway over the years.
According to Governor El-Rufai, “it is unfortunate that in spite of our investment in human, material and other resources to stem the tide of criminality in the state, the levels are still a source of concern.
“This presentation has brought out new emerging concerns that I will want the Security Council to take note of and discuss and maybe to proffer some suggestions.
“The first great concern is the emergence of Boko Haram terrorists’ enclave as well as activities of Ansaru, particularly in Birnin-Gwari and Chikun Local Government.
“Among those kidnapped from the train, was a former roommate and classmate of mine who was released upon payment of a ransom and throughout the period that he was in captivity, it was very clear that the terrorists were making comments like the forests in Kaduna are even better than Sambisa, so, they should all relocate here. I think this is an area we should all be concerned about.
“And that is why we have been making the point that the problem of insecurity now has moved from the North-East to the North-West. What is happening in North-West is far more serious and potentially more dangerous than we have ever had in the North-East and we will like the military and other security agencies to take notice of this before it gets out of control.”
El-Rufai also expressed concern that the terrorists had gone expertise in bomb-making, saying that this “because Boko Haram and Ansaru elements have moved into the state.”
“The second which is related to the first is the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (EIDs) and mines in the state. We have been lucky thanks to the Police we have been able to defuse most of them without causing major loss of lives. This is still a major concern.
“Because this shows very clearly the movement from banditry to terrorism with expertise in making explosive devices.
“Again this is because Boko Haram and Ansaru elements have moved into the state,” he said.
He also said approval would soon be given to the Kaduna State Vigilance Service for the recruitment of additional 1000 personnel to complement the efforts of the military, police and other security agencies in the fight against terrorism in the state.
“From what we have seen, the security agencies are overstretched, we really need to ramp up our recruitment of our vigilance service volunteers, I think the 1,000 we trained have been very useful in assisting the Army, the Police and other security agencies and perhaps this is the time to get another 1,000 ad send them to Police College for training,” el-Rufai said.
